Chapter 129 - Fucking Bullshit!!!
The two of them finished their meal quietly. The dishes of the Wu Steel Manor were both delicious and full of taste. Furthermore, most of the dishes were meat dishes. Zuo Shaoqing ate two bowls of rice before finishing the meal.
After he finished his meal, he studied Lu Zheng's taste while giving him food. Watching him eat the food he passed to him without any hesitation made him feel like an old man and his wife.
Watching Lu Zheng eat was a very enjoyable thing to do. Every dish tasted delicious to him, and he was rarely picky with food. It was so much easier to feed than other young masters.
After he had eaten his fill and had the servants disperse, Lu Zheng took Zuo Shaoqing to pay his respects to the madame.
Zuo Shaoqing was a bit anxious. According to etiquette, he should have greeted them the moment he entered the door. It was just that he was distracted by Wu Tie at that time and couldn't recall anything about this matter.
By the time he remembered, the two of them were already in the bathtub, and they had to move back for whatever it was.
Duke Zhen's mansion was huge. Lu Zheng lived in a large three-way courtyard with a large garden outside. There was also a large pond in the garden.
Along the way, Zuo Shaoqing did not meet many servants, which was very different from the situation where the servants and servants of wealthy families came in groups.
It was not until they walked into the old mistress' Warm Fragrance Pavilion that they gradually regained their popularity. The old wives guarding outside the door all greeted Lu Zheng and greeted him, “Wu Steel An, Third Master Zuo An.”
Zuo Shaoqing didn't expect that he would receive the same treatment. He only came to the Wu Steel Manor once, and the second time he did not even enter the door, these women could recognize him. It was obvious that someone told him beforehand.
Just as he stepped into the room, he heard a hearty laugh from inside. It sounded like the madame's unique voice.
“Mom, why are you laughing so happily?” Lu Zheng was always a little more carefree in front of the madame.
The old mistress' laughter suddenly stopped. Zuo Shaoqing's heart skipped a beat when he saw her smile. Could it be that he was to blame for his rudeness?
“You're back? Why didn't you rest for a night before coming over?”
Zuo Shaoqing could hear the ridicule in her words. Thinking back to how the two of them drilled into the room as soon as they entered, hot air gradually rose to their cheeks.
Lu Zheng, however, didn't care. He pulled Zuo Shaoqing and sat on the other side of the old lady, “I'm a bit tired from rushing back. I'll come over to check on you first before going to rest.”
She turned her gaze towards Zuo Shaoqing and saw him sitting obediently next to Lu Zheng. The two of them had the same outstanding looks, but Lu Zheng was masculine and handsome, Zuo Shaoqing was outstanding and looked like a match to each other.
It was a pity that it was a man. The madame sighed inwardly.
She waved at Zuo Shaoqing, recovered her smile, and said, “I heard that Shao Qing became Conference Test first and became so outstanding at such a young age. I was even planning to have someone present him with a congratulatory gift.”
To tell the truth, the madame did not expect such an outcome. Although she knew Zuo Shaoqing was a scholar and was a scholar with good knowledge, it was not something an ordinary scholar could achieve at such an age.
But thinking about it, if there was nothing special about him, how could Lu Zheng be dead set on him?
The madame found Zuo Shaoqing more pleasing to the eye. Plus, she felt sorry for him being abducted to this road of no return at such a young age.
Zuo Shaoqing walked up to the madame, bowed and flattered, “The madame has not seen you for a few days and is looking more radiant now.”
“This child's mouth is so sweet!” The old mistress held his hand and placed a square piece of jade into it. “Look, someone sent me a small item yesterday. Take it back and carve it for me to play with.”
The jade was warm to the touch and was a top-quality topaz. Zuo Shaoqing didn't refuse it and carefully put it away before saying with a smile: “Thank you for your reward, Old Madam.”
He remembered that the madame was a talented girl with a small reputation when she was young, and that he could use this Heavenly Yellow Stone to engrave a seal on her. Even Zuo Shuhui could remember every poem the madame had written, so he couldn't be too ignorant.
What was going on in her mind, she saw the old mistress ask with a stern face, “Why haven't we seen each other for a few days, and why aren't you willing to call me ‘Mother'?”
Zuo Shaoqing immediately called out to his in a smooth and natural manner. This feeling was very strange, as if someone who had roamed for a long time had suddenly grown a root in this land. Compared to Zuo's Mansion, this place seemed more like a home.
The madame was satisfied. She asked the maidservant to bring him and Lu Zheng a cup of ginseng tea and said, “One of you is busy killing bandits and the other is busy holding the imperial examinations. Don't be too busy.”
Zuo Shaoqing noticed that her temper left as quickly as it came. It was as if he didn't care about anything, but he arranged everything perfectly.
For example, the piece of chrysanthemum that was given to him, or the cup of ginseng tea in his hand. Although he knew that he had been touched by Lu Zheng's light, it still warmed his heart.
Thinking about the things that could be taken out of the Treasure Pavilion's storeroom, Zuo Shaoqing was prepared to bring her back next time to honor her seniors.
Calming down, Zuo Shaoqing started to observe the people in the room. He had met a butler and Maid Zhong before, and there were also a few young maidservants. All of them looked pretty good.
In addition, there were two little girls around the age of four or five. They were tidied up very cutely, and the two children were sitting on the thick carpet playing with sandbags.
Lu Zheng saw him staring at the maidservants in the room. He raised his eyebrows and pulled the person beside him to sit down. “What are you looking at?”
Zuo Shaoqing turned around and blinked at him. He pointed at the girl on the ground and asked, “Why is there such a small one in the family…” He did not know the identities of the two girls, nor did he know what to call them.
If he didn't know that Lu Zheng had no children in his previous life, he would have suspected that these two cute girls were the princess of Duke Zhen Prefecture.
“Oh, those are the two girls that I've just selected, they're going to be raised by my side. After you guys get married, it's about time I choose an heir for the mansion.” The madame answered first.
Zuo Shaoqing's eyes instantly opened wide as his chest thumped loudly. This kind of thing… Could it still be resolved this way?
Although there had been precedents where men could marry each other, he had never heard of such a family being able to use a successor.
He was worried that in the future, his mother-in-law would force her daughter-in-law to give him a concubine or a concubine and would even give him a room.
The madame called the two girls over and introduced them to each other. Zuo Shaoqing noticed that the madame still used the proper term ‘Master Lu', which was not too intimate.
“I've taken a fancy to the third son of your second uncle's family. He's two years old this year, and looks quite strong and strong. He's really smart. If you're interested, I'll invite them over to have a chat.”
In the past few decades, because Duke Zhen's family had a single branch, his relatives had moved further and further away. It was not easy to find a child with the same bloodline.
There were also a few relatives who saw that their bloodlines were weak and always tried to find a way to send their son in. Even if they couldn't inherit the title in the future, they could still think of a better future.
If their luck was good and Duke Zhen Manor's only son ended up burping, then their son would be the rightful heir. At that time, Duke Zhen Manor would belong to him.
“This matter is not urgent.” Lu Zheng frowned, “Shao Qing and I are still young, there are too many variables to nurture a successor this early.”
According to Lu Zheng, he would at least wait until they were 30 years old to consider this issue. Cultivating them for more than 20 years would depend on his luck to become a dragon or an adult.
Raised too early, they might grow up to go through a power struggle between foster father and foster son.
The only reason why the competition for the throne was so intense was because the princes were growing ambitious.
The old lady shot her son a sidelong glance and said wearily, “Up to you.” In any case, he wasn't his biological grandson. There wasn't much difference between a few years earlier and a few years later.
The corner of Zuo Shaoqing's mouth raised in an undetectable smile. He lowered his head and did not say anything. Before he officially became a member of this family, it was better for him to not participate in this kind of conversation.
The madame waved her hand. “Alright, alright. Do what you have to do. Don't stay with me. Just look at you and be annoyed.”
Lu Zheng then took Zuo Shaoqing away without saying anything. Afterwards, Zuo Shaoqing asked: “Do you always have this kind of attitude when facing the old lady?” You say you can leave just like that?
Lu Zheng pinched his palm and asked: “What's wrong with this attitude?”
Zuo Shaoqing thought to himself: Entering the door, I only greeted them and didn't even greet them. Furthermore, based on the situation, I'm afraid I don't even have Cheng Lan Province.
He always acted very straightforwardly in front of Lu Zheng, writing everything down on his face. Lu Zheng also understood his unspoken doubts and taught him a lesson: “Mother and son, why are you being so formal?”
Lu Zheng had also seen many common etiquette of aristocratic families. The mother and son were not close since they were young, and they only met once in the morning when they were in the evening. Their mother was not as intimate as the wet nurse.
Lu Zheng was personally fed by the madame. Although he went to the battlefield at the age of eleven, they were the only family of each other, and the affection between them was extremely precious.
Zuo Shaoqing couldn't understand it at the moment. He just assumed that the identities of his and his mother were special, so he wouldn't be able to do it as he pleased.
The wind was cold and a little wet. Lu Zheng took him around the garden and took a nap at the pavilion in the middle of the lake.
After asking the servant to bring a cloak, Lu Zheng personally put it on Zuo Shaoqing. He kissed him on the side of his face and said: “When the lotus flowers bloom in the pond, you can invite some good friends to come back and admire the flower.”
Zuo Shaoqing imagined the beautiful scenery of the lotus flowers blooming, his eyes immediately lit up, “Can you take me to the lake by rowing a boat?” Zuo Shaoqing's focus was clearly different.
“How hard is that? If you want to go, you can go now.”
Zuo Shaoqing immediately shook his head and said in a gentle tone, “This time, the cold wind is cold, so it's not the best time to swim in the lake.” Hot summer, the night on the lake water stroke cool, how comfortable is that?
Perhaps, his future life would be too beautiful. Zuo Shaoqing momentarily forgot the time, and even more so, forgot that he was still a person with Zuo Family.
Inside the Zuo's Mansion, Zuo Yunwen panicked when Zuo Shaoqing didn't bring him away. After a moment of consideration alone, he went to the Tinlan Garden to find Mrs. Xue, intending to ask her to go to the Cheng Manor to find someone to help him.
Mrs. Xue snorted coldly, “Master, it's not that I'm not willing to help, it's just that this Imperial Examinations case can be small. If Shao Qing really did commit a crime, then wouldn't that cause our two families to lose our protection?”
Zuo Yunwen was angry in his heart, “How could Shao Qing cheat? Where did he get the exam questions?”
“To know a person's appearance but not their heart, master, there are many things that you do not know.” Mrs. Xue's words had only been meant to say that Zuo Shaoqing had been a very proud and aloof High Scholar these days. He had been behaving obediently in front of Zuo Yunwen and had not been so polite to others.
After the couple had grinded their mouths for four hours, they had heard about Zuo Shaoqing's deeds in court, especially the news that the Third Master of the Zuo Family was taken away by Master Lu.
Mrs. Zuo and his wife were extremely shocked. At the beginning, they even thought Master Lu's actions were due to Zuo Shuhui's love of the house.
But when they calmed down, they knew something was wrong. Plus, there were some bad rumors outside. After they heard this, they were so angry that smoke was coming out from their heads.
Zuo Yunwen was angry that a man with good Zuo Family would be so vilified. No matter if it was true or false, it would definitely affect his reputation.
Mrs. Xue secretly resented him. “As expected of a fox spirit, to even seduce men, don't you have any sense of shame?”
“Old master, what do you say this time?” Mrs. Xue gritted her teeth while ridiculing him, “Don't you think that since it's an alliance, it doesn't matter if it's a son or daughter?”
Zuo Yunwen's face turned even darker when he heard this. It was rare for him to swear in a vile tone: “Fucking bullshit!”
Read latest chapters at f(r)eewebnov𝒆l Only